RELATED ARTICLES

Share this article

The birthrate in the UK rose from 12.5 per cent to 12.7 per cent last year, despite the UK still being in recession.

Experts said the difficulty in finding a job was encouraging women to bring forward their plans to have a baby.

Retailers such as Marks & Spencer also reported a 60 per cent rise in the sale of maternity clothes last year.

The NHS expects a surge in the number of babies born next month, and admitted it would prove an 'obvious challenge'.

Joy Horner, an independent midwife from Birth Joy, based in Portsmouth, said: 'We do see a rise in conception rates when there's been severe weather.'

'The weather has a significant impact and the snow could definitely be the reason for the baby boom next month.

'If you cannot get out of your house, you've got to find some way to keep yourself occupied.'

Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs maternity services in the city and surrounding areas, says a baby boom is determined by how many women are having pregnancies confirmed by a 12-week scan.

In March this year the trust recorded higher than normal scans.

And into April there were 550 scans carried out; above the normal monthly average.Julie Dawes, director of nursing at the hospital trust, said: 'The higher number of mothers due to give birth from September onwards will be an obvious challenge for us due to the extra demand upon our services.

'But we remain committed to continuing to provide the highest possible standard of care to mothers and their babies in the safest environment.'